News Releases

Bridging the funding gap to defeat malaria in Africa

Senior Africa health officials, donors and development partners convened today on the side-lines of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa and urged for increased investments to end malaria, a disease responsible for close to 600 000 deaths in the region. The meeting comes at a time when the fight against malaria in Africa is facing significant unprecedented funding and biological threats.

African health ministers mobilize against dangerous threat of antimicrobial resistan...

Gaborone – African health ministers today endorsed a regional strategy to ramp up action against antimicrobial resistance, which is estimated to have directly contributed to 1.27 million deaths in sub-Saharan Africa in 2019.

The region faces a high burden of antimicrobial resistance, which occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat. Globally, around 10 million people – including 4.1 million in the African region – are projected to die of antimicrobial resistance by 2050.

African health ministers kick off region’s flagship health meeting

Gaborone – African health ministers and government representatives today opened the Seventy-third session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa to discuss and agree on key measures to address the region’s health challenges, advance and promote good health and well-being.

WHO celebrates inaugural Mwele Malecela Mentorship Programme recipients

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa this week inaugurated the first cohort of candidates of the Mwele Malecela Mentorship (MMM) Programme for Women in Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), established in 2022 in honour of the visionary behind the 2030 WHO road map for NTDs, and one of Africa’s most respected scientists.